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The European Food Safety Authority confirms offer of sponsorship but says it was rejected

9 October 2017 / In a letter to Testbiotech, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has confirmed that there was an offer to sponsor a trip for a leading expert at the authority. According to present knowledge, the US company Monsanto made this offer via a straw man. It was meant to cover the travel costs of a trip to a conference in the USA where there was to be a discussion on the risks of glyphosate. According to the chair of the EFSA management board, Jaana Husu-Kallio, the authority sent one of their employees to the conference, but the offer of sponsorship was rejected.

5 October 2017 / The EU Parliament is calling for the rejection of approval for import and use in food and feed for genetically engineered soybeans resistant to three herbicides. The residues left by the herbicides to which the plants are resistant need to be examined in detail before approval is granted. The resolution passed by the European Parliament yesterday concerns soybeans produced by Bayer and Dow AgroSciences. The companies hope to market these new genetically engineered soybeans that are resistant to several herbicides classified as being harmful to health.

Today, the Testbiotech opposition against the Max Planck Society patent EP2328918 was rejected in most parts by the European Patent Office (EPO). The patent claims genetically engineered laboratory animals and even apes as “inventions”. They are genetically engineered to have symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The claims on laboratory animals and their uses have only been marginally limited. The most significant change is a restriction of the claims: chimpanzees have been removed from the patent. But the patent still covers monkeys, such as baboons as well as rats and mice.

Opposition division of the European Patent Office to make a decision on ethics

Tuesday, 26 September 2017

Tomorrow on the 27 September, the European Patent Office (EPO) in Munich will hold a public hearing on an opposition filed by Testbiotech against the Max Planck Society patent EP2328918. This patent claims genetically engineered animals as “inventions”, including non-human primates such as baboons. The animals are meant to be genetically engineered to show symptoms of the Parkinson’s disease.